Prof. Alasdair Roberts is the Jerome L. Rappaport Professor of Law and Public Policy at Suffolk University Law School, and Faculty Director of the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service. He writes on problems of governance, law and public policy. A Canadian citizen, Professor Roberts received a JD from the University of Toronto in 1984, a Master's degree in Public Policy from Harvard University in 1986, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University in 1994.

His 2006 book, Blacked Out: Government Secrecy in the Information Age, received the Brownlow Book Award from the US National Academy of Public Administration, and three other academic book awards. Professor Roberts was elected as a fellow of the US National Academy of Public Administration in 2007. He is also an Honorary Senior Research Fellow of the School of Public Policy, University College London and co-editor of the journal Governance.

Difficult economic times are often threatening to the idea of transparency. Financially troubled governments argue that openness is a luxury, not a necessity. The political uncertainty that is generated by economic troubles sometimes makes governments hesitant about releasing sensitive information. But the reluctance to maintain transparency can have serious consequences. Secretiveness can undermine the legitimacy of governmental action and contribute to political instability. Indeed, the crisis itself can be regarded as the result of multiple failures of transparency in the private and public sectors. The temptation to view openness as a luxury must be resisted. It is precisely at the moment of economic crisis that the idea of transparency is most important.